Arya News - Before the president`s State of the Nation Address (Sona), on Monday, Filipino citizens had already identified various issues requiring urgent government action — from curbing corru ption, to lowering the costs of basic commodities.
MANILA – Before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), Filipinos had already identified the issues they wanted him to address and the problems they believed demanded urgent government action — from curbing corruption to lowering the cost of basic commodities.
Over 1 hour and 26 minutes — the longest of Marcos’ five Sona speeches since he assumed the presidency — he was repeatedly met with cheers and, on several occasions, standing ovations from those gathered inside the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
Like his previous addresses, Marcos’ speech on Monday, July 27, ended with a promise. Speaking in Filipino, he said that in the remaining two years of his administration, “we will finish what we have started and fulfill our promises to the Filipino people.”
“Let us continue the work that we have started. To make the Philippines the country that Filipinos deserve. There is no nobler cause than this. We do this for our children. We do this for our future. We can but do this, because we love our country and we love our people,” Marcos said.
But in a speech of more than 9,000 words delivered not only to the 20th Congress but also to millions of Filipinos across the country and around the world, did Marcos confront the issues that people wanted to hear about — and, more importantly, the problems they wanted his government to solve?
Controlling inflation
Marcos said the government immediately rolled back the price increase on imported rice and arrested and filed charges against those “taking advantage of the people’s suffering while a state of energy emergency was in effect.”
“We did everything possible to bring prices down and slow their increase,” Marcos said, adding that the government acted immediately to mitigate the rapid rise in the prices of basic commodities and distributed 26,000 metric tons of rice to more than 2.5 million households.
Marcos also cited the Benteng Bigas Meron Na program, saying it provided relief to more than 12 million Filipinos nationwide. More than 800 Kadiwa outlets helped “both consumers and farmers and fisherfolk, who are able to sell their products directly,” he said.
Law enforcement and fighting corruption
A year after his previous Sona, in which he exposed corruption in flood control projects, Marcos said the government “conducted a wide-ranging and thorough investigation, without favoring anyone,” while examining everything closely and following the evidence.
“We did everything necessary to get to the bottom of it. The first cases have already been filed, and some of those charged have been jailed: contractors, high-ranking officials, and even lawmakers,” he said as he mentioned the imminent filing of cases against his cousin.
“Painful as this may be for me, we must do what is right,” Marcos said, referring to the Office of the Ombudsman’s announcement that charges would soon be filed against former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez over corruption allegations.
The government will work to recover the stolen funds, Marcos said. It also stopped the release of public funds that would have been used to pay for defective and nonexistent projects, only to end up in the hands of corrupt contractors and officials.
Marcos said nearly P25 billion in funds and assets belonging to the accused had been recovered, frozen and preserved. More than P800 million of that amount had already been returned to the Bureau of the Treasury.
“You can rest assured that the wheels of justice are turning,” he said.
Wage hike and tax reduction
As in the previous year, Marcos made no mention of a legislated wage increase, except to say that the government had “succeeded in raising the minimum wage for our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) employed as domestic workers” through agreements with other countries.
He called on Congress, however, to pass legislation providing significant tax relief by expanding the income tax exemption to protect Filipinos and help them make the most of their hard-earned income.
The exemption would include those earning no more than P350,000 a year, he said.
Poverty alleviation and hunger
Marcos said that when the effects of the war in the Middle East reached the Philippines, the government immediately declared a state of national energy emergency as part of a mission “to help our struggling countrymen rise above these difficult times.”
“We directed public funds where they rightfully belonged and where they were needed most: to essential services that people could truly feel and that would make a real difference in their lives … We saved public funds that were on the verge of ending up in the pockets of corrupt officials,” he said.
He said the government released an additional P58 billion to local governments to enable them to provide faster and broader assistance to their constituents.
“Now, we will redirect our programs toward our fellow Filipinos who need them most, so that assistance can reach more people and cover a wider segment of the population,” he said.
The government’s goal, Marcos said, is to assist 3.5 million beneficiaries of the 4Ps and Walang Gutom Program, 1.5 million minimum-wage workers who are members of the SSS, and 2.5 million poor Filipinos who have not yet benefited from any government assistance program.
“We also remain ready to provide support to the transportation sector, the agriculture sector, and overseas Filipino workers affected by the conflict,” he said. “More than 7.5 million families in greatest need will receive assistance under this difficult chapter.”
Fighting crime and illegal drugs
Marcos did not discuss crime or illegal drugs but condemned what he described as “pernicious influences” that destroy the youth.
“We have to do more to protect our children … from harmful influences and forces that exploit their vulnerabilities,” he said.
Employment
Many Filipinos were affected by the Middle East crisis, and some lost their jobs, Marcos said.
He said that on May 1, Labor Day, at the height of soaring oil prices, “we organized close to 100 job fairs, where we made almost 300,000 job opportunities available to the public.”
The job fairs resulted in more than 6,000 Filipinos being “hired on the spot,” he said.
“We also distributed wages to more than 100,000 beneficiaries who worked under the Department of Labor and Employment’s DILEEP and TUPAD programs,” Marcos said.
Lowering oil prices
“As a result of our strong relations with various countries, we ensured an adequate supply of oil to meet our national requirements,” Marcos said.
Despite the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he said, “we were able to purchase and import oil from alternative sources.”
As a result, the government secured enough oil to meet the country’s needs for nearly two months, he said.
“With the cooperation of our oil companies, increases in petroleum prices were implemented gradually over the course of a week rather than all at once, easing the burden on struggling consumers. We also ordered a series of substantial price rollbacks that oil companies were required to implement,” he said.
Marcos added that under a law passed by Congress, “we were also able to immediately suspend for three months the imposition of the excise tax on LPG and kerosene.”
Promoting peace, defending sovereignty
In his Sona, Marcos cited the “final and binding” 2016 arbitral award, which he described as the definitive benchmark for interpreting and applying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Let me remind our friends and our detractors: Filipinos are a noble, kind, gracious, and great race. We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars. We are respectful, and we are dignified. We are Filipinos, and we do not yield,” he said.
Marcos said the government would do everything necessary to assert the arbitral award, using every peaceful and legal means available to the republic against any foreign or domestic attempt to undermine what was achieved in 2016.
“This is not a claim that we advance alone, nor is it one that we will abandon,” he said.
“We give honor to our Armed Forces, the Coast Guard, and even our fisherfolk, who all continue to patrol and ply our seas in the face of great risks. To them we owe collective gratitude and appreciation, for it is they who give life to the letter and spirit of the arbitral award,” he said.
He reminded Filipinos that in the face of threats to security within and beyond the country’s borders, “let us stand tall and stand united.”
“Though we may differ in many ways, we are one people. We are all Filipinos — Filipino in spirit, Filipino by blood. May unity and love for our motherland and for our fellow Filipinos prevail. On this, we must not stand against one another,” he said.
Marcos said “peace and order are the foundations of security, for our country, for our region, and for the world.”
“A long but worthwhile 15 years since its signing, we are now ready to formalize the historic completion of the government’s peace pact with the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA),” he said.
Likewise, under Republic Act No. 12317, the BARMM electorate is poised to take part in BARMM’s first regular parliamentary elections.
“This is a critical accomplishment under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro,” Marcos said.
Providing assistance to farmers
Marcos said the government provided assistance to nearly 2 million farmers and fisherfolk at the height of the effects of the Middle East conflict through the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk, and Families, or PAFFF.
Various programs, including capital assistance, farm inputs, equipment, training and insurance, also helped agricultural workers, he said.
“Farmers and fisherfolk are also coming together through stronger organizations and are gaining access to modern technologies, improved seeds, facilities, and equipment. Among these are 145 rice processing systems, three large cold storage facilities, and nearly 40,000 pieces of agricultural machinery,” he said.
Marcos said coconut plantations were also expanding through nationwide mass tree-planting programs.
“We have already planted 18 million coconut trees. Our goal is that by the end of this administration, we will have planted 100 million coconut trees across the Philippines,” he said.
Marcos said the National Food Authority (NFA) was better equipped to purchase farmers’ harvests at more favorable prices and maintain adequate buffer stocks.
While various pests and diseases threaten farmers’ expected incomes, the Department of Agriculture is working to ensure that farmers have modern knowledge and follow best practices to prevent and combat those threats, he said.
“Even so, insurance remains an effective safeguard against financial losses caused by unexpected damage or the loss of livelihood. Over the past four years, the sector has received compensation totaling P19 billion, helping farmers and fisherfolk recover from livelihood losses and damages,” Marcos said.
He said crop insurance now extended beyond crops to cover livestock, fisheries, agricultural equipment and facilities, and agricultural vehicles. It also provides life insurance coverage for farmers and fisherfolk.
Assistance to small businesses
Marcos said the government would not forget Filipino workers, particularly those in the middle class, or small businesses.
“We know they, too, are bearing the weight of the [Middle East] crisis,” he said.
“So, to ensure the continued progress of the middle class amid the lingering effects of the crisis, we will pursue tax relief measures that promote growth, generate revenue, and advance equity toward long-term socioeconomic sustainability,” he said.
Marcos promised that small businesses would no longer be subject to the minimum corporate income tax.
Disaster preparedness
Marcos said the government would begin constructing disaster-resilient “Ligtas Pinoy Centers” this year as he called for stronger building standards to withstand increasingly severe natural disasters.
“Aside from the 137 evacuation centers that have been built across the country, we will begin constructing Ligtas Pinoy Centers this year. The first of these will be in areas frequently hit by severe weather, such as Bicol, Eastern Samar, Bukidnon, and Davao de Oro,” he said.
Marcos said the facilities were designed to withstand extreme disasters, including super typhoons with winds of up to 340 kilometers per hour and magnitude-8.4 earthquakes.
“All buildings in our country must be prepared and capable of remaining strong and standing against any threat posed by disasters and calamities,” he said.
He also called for amendments to the National Building Code to bring the country’s construction requirements in line with modern standards.
Protecting the environment
Marcos made no mention of environmental protection beyond saying that the Philippines had begun efforts to establish hydrogen power plants to achieve energy security, particularly in off-grid areas.
“We have begun to embark on the establishment of hydrogen power plants. Multiple projects are now in their predevelopment stage in Marinduque, Masbate, Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan, and other potential areas,” he said.
Promoting the welfare of OFWs
Since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, the government has safely repatriated more than 12,000 Filipinos, Marcos said.
More than 140,000 OFWs have also received various forms of assistance amid the conflict, including food, financial aid, medical care and temporary shelter.
As the workers returned to the Philippines, “we helped them rebuild their livelihoods through the AKSYON Fund and the OWWA-Kabuhayan Program,” he said.
Some were referred to the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) or included in the Bayanihan para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa job fairs, while others received assistance in securing new employment opportunities overseas.
“Returning OFW teachers will now serve in our public schools, where they are needed most. Here in the Philippines, they will once again be known as Ma’am and Sir,” Marcos said.
He added: “We continue to strengthen our engagement with other countries and provide support to our OFWs to ensure their safety, especially as some of our fellow Filipinos lost their lives or remain missing in the Middle East.